Arabian Nights
by Aria6
Summary: Roxas is the prince of a far away, northern country. Unfortunately he's been exiled and has to travel to a far away desert... and ends up making friends with a strange prince. But what is Axel hiding? Axel/Roxas. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Roxas scowled at the picture in the sitting room. It was an entirely inoffensive image of a madonna holding up a smiling babe. It was designed to cheer the minds and gladden the hearts of anyone who looked on it. At the moment, it wasn't working.

"Where is he?" Roxas muttered to himself, drumming his fingers against the arm of his chair. Standing up, he began to pace, kicking at the rich rug under his feet. Everything in the room was expensive. Beautiful hardwood floors had been imported from Braut at ruinous expense. Lovely tapestries gleaned with gemstone threads, picking out ancient and historical scenes. Paintings done by the greatest of artists adorned the walls. Sometimes Roxas found the surfeit of luxury annoying. But it had all been in place for generations, accumulated very slowly over almost two thousand years. Roxas was willing to make an exception for that.

"Roxas." Roxas turned as his brother entered the room. He and Cloud had been close at one time, but that had been years ago. For some time his brother had been getting grimmer and grimmer and seemed to be criticizing everything he was doing. He just didn't understand it.

"Cloud." Roxas inclined his head, a touch shallowly. "What can I do for you?"

"You can sit for one." Cloud said briskly and Roxas frowned before taking a seat. Cloud sat across from him, adjusting the slim coronet he wore on less formal occasions. It was actually quite restrained compared to what their father had worn. "Roxas, we need to discuss your future."

"My future?" Roxas said, confused. He'd already planned out his future. Or at least he'd thought he had. "I'm going to join the army. Remember?" Cloud just looked at him for a moment, then carefully laid his hands on the arms of his chair before leaning back.

"My ministers would love for you to do that." Cloud's tone was dry as a bone. "So they could arrange a fatal accident for you." Roxas gaped at his brother, shocked. Surely he wasn't serious?

"Cloud, what are you talking about?" He managed to say. Cloud frowned and shook his head.

"I can't tell if you're naïve or being disingenuous. Roxas, have you noticed that a lot of first born children don't live to take up their titles around here?" Roxas winced at that. He knew about it of course. But surely Cloud didn't think he'd do something like that! He loved his brother, even if he'd turned into a bit of a stuck up since he'd taken the throne. "Father was the fourth born. And while Uncle Richard really did die of pneumonia, I don't think for one minute the other three all had 'hunting accidents.' Do you?"

"Cloud! That's horrible." Roxas said sharply. Could Cloud really think he would do such a thing? His brother paused, then heaved a sigh.

"It is what it is. In case you hadn't noticed, Roxas, royal brothers and sisters never stay in the country." Cloud's tone took on a slightly acid note. "If you go back in the histories you see the girls are all married off and the boys either die or are sent on 'trade missions' that never come back."

"So that's it? You're exiling me?" Roxas demanded and Cloud hesitated just a moment before nodding. His expression was bleak but Roxas found his sympathy quite limited. "Where?"

"Hyra." Cloud said briefly and Roxas winced. Hyra was far, far away, deep in the southern desert. For a long time it had survived solely on the farmland of the great river that snaked into the desert and flooded every year. That had been an adequate living, but just a generation ago the area had become rich. A great salt lake had been discovered and was being mined, and arcane silver had been found buried in the rocks of the stony desert. That mine was brutally punishing to work, but arcane silver was prized by wizards the world over. Hyra was rich now and several attempts to take it over had met with utter disaster. The desert was brutal for anyone not born to it, and the people who lived there were hardy. "The King owes me a favor. He'll see you're given full honors." Roxas bit back the words he wanted to say. He didn't want to be a useless drone, being 'honored' for his relatives. It wouldn't make any difference.

"I can see you have everything decided." Roxas' tone was withering but Cloud just looked at him steadily. Roxas couldn't stand it anymore and stood. "I'll go pack. When am I leaving?" That was an important detail. Cloud pursed his lips for a moment.

"A week. You're going to be traveling with a caravan. Leon will give you the details." Cloud stood as well and nodded once before leaving the room briskly. Roxas watched him go, wondering where his older brother had gone. The brother who had taken him out on a hunt and shown him how to fly a kite…

It didn't matter. That brother was gone and had been replaced with the King. Roxas grimaced to himself and went to go pack.

* * *

"They want us to do _what?_" The old man heaved himself up in his bath. The slave girl behind him frowned and leaned back a bit as the water sloshed onto the marble tiles. The King was well gone to fat, so quite a lot of water could be spilled with careless movements. The red haired man across from him looked up from the letters he'd been reading, a small smile playing across his face.

"They want us to host their prince in exile, father." The young man repeated and the King scowled, reaching up to scratch his hair. It had once been as red as his son's but it had long since faded into grey.

"What's he done? I'm not interested in hosting some gilded serpent." The slave girl began soaping the King's back again and he settled into her attentions with a grunt. Her thin white shift clung appealingly to a young and desirable body, but the two men in the room were unmoved, concentrating on matters of state.

"He hasn't done anything, as far as our spies can tell." Axel consulted the second paper, a report from their ambassador and his spies. "The King and his advisors seem to be afraid he will do something, but old Freri seems to think he's too young and fair minded to think of it." The King barked a laugh and shook his head.

"Damn northerners. If you and your brothers behaved like that I'd thwack you across the earhole." Axel grinned, amused. It was quite true and while the King wasn't particularly imposing now, there was still plenty of muscle under the flab. As a young man he'd been quite formidable.

With their long centuries of privation, Hyra had developed a very different system of handling extra children than many other countries. Poor as they were, they could expect very few royal marriages to take away their daughters and even fewer prospects for extra sons. So they were willing to take whatever came their way and make their own fortunes. One of Axel's older brothers was a merchant prince, which would have been unthinkable in most lands. Another was in training to be a bard, which would have been equally unthinkable. And not one of them had any thought of overthrowing their oldest brother. There would have been no support if they tried.

Axel himself was the eighth son. So far down the line of succession that dreams of the throne were ludicrous, he'd decided on becoming an advisor to the throne. He had a flair for politics and quite enjoyed finding things out. It helped that he had magical talent and was very quietly refining it under the tutelage of a very good wizard. Along with his flamboyant personality and taste for various pleasures, everyone in the court underestimated him. It could be highly useful at times.

"Did you want me to show him around father?" Axel offered. He wasn't sure he wanted to spent time with the gilded serpent either, although that was probably unfair to the boy. But he could take the lad to the taverns and whorehouses. That would enhance his reputation as a useless fop nicely. His father looked a touch relieved at the suggestion.

"Could you Axel? It'd be a relief." The King said and Axel grinned, flipping to a new sheet.

"It will be my pleasure! Now, Albren has a report on the status of the salt mines." That was his merchant prince brother. He was a very good manager and had gone to the mines to take a personal interest on behalf of the King. Axel began reading the letter to his father, ignoring the slave girl. Nothing he was reading was secret. That got handled in special rooms, although there wasn't much business like that. Hyra was still a rather open place although Axel didn't think it was going to last.

Wealth and power would always corrupt.

* * *

Roxas clung to his _viara_, trying not to pant in the heat. He was desperate for any coolness but that would only dry his mouth and make him even more miserable.

The trip to Hyra had been every bit as miserable as he'd feared. It had taken almost three months, attached to this ramshackle caravan. The merchants didn't want him along and they'd made their feelings plain. He'd needed to do absolutely everything for himself, from setting up his tent to handling his own cooking. Roxas had a dark suspicion that most travelers with the caravan would have gotten at least a bit of help. No one was willing to talk to him, which had suited him well enough at first but had gotten very lonely after a while. The way the caravan was constantly stopping to hawk their wares was annoying but expected and had added at least a month to the trip.

When they reached Hyra, though, things had gone from lonely and uncomfortable to outright miserable. Roxas had decided he hated the desert. His clothes, meant for a Northern summer, were no protection against the blazing sun. Roxas had burned and peeled and burned again, never tanning. The arid heat was pure torture for someone from a cool, wet land.

The _viara_ at the front of the caravan made a low, deep call and Roxas looked up as the caravan picked up the pace. The _viara_ were strange creatures. Related somehow to the T'assa plant people, they lived in the one climate the T'assa always shunned. The plant people disliked dryness above all else, but the _viara_ were quite different. Their skin felt like the waxy bulb of a desert plant, and they vaguely resembled camels but with bumps protruding to the side as well as up. They were great, ugly creatures but were capable of a great turn of speed and were very clever and easily trainable. Those attributes had made them beasts of burden and war mounts for the desert nomads. Roxas didn't really like them, but he suspected his mount was the worst of the caravan. It was always struggling to keep up and lurching in a way that made him feel sick.

Roxas rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing a mirage again. He'd become depressingly familiar with the illusion of water on his trip through the desert. But no… the blowing sand was parting to reveal a great city and Roxas suddenly realized what had caught the _viara's_ attention. The great Virgin River was ahead of them and the city was clinging to its banks. They had scented the water, even at this great distance.

"Oh thank god." Roxas murmured to himself as the caravan began its descent out of the sands. He felt dizzy with relief and had to cling to the saddle as the _viara_ stumbled and almost went to its knees. He was here. Finally, finally, he had reached Vdala, the capital of Hyra. He still wasn't keen on being 'honored' for his relationship to Cloud but right now he would take anything over the brutal sun.

The caravan did not stop for water and Roxas started to get a splitting headache. His dizziness increased as well and he was feeling like he might throw up at any moment. Closing his eyes, he lowered his head and endured. They were here. Surely they would stop for water soon.

Roxas came back to awareness as his _viara_ suddenly stopped with a startled sound. A man was holding the reigns and Roxas tried to muster up a glare. He knew it was halfhearted at best, but what did this barbarian think he was doing? The man was dressed in flowing black robes and a headdress was concealing all of him except his brilliant green eyes.

"You look like hell." Roxas' jaw dropped at the words, spoken in the Northern tongue. The merchants all spoke his language but their command of it was stilted and formal. This stranger sounded as fluent as a native speaker. "Prince Roxas, I presume?" Strong hands gripped him, helping him down from the _viara_. Roxas was about to protest when a wave of dizziness and pain hit him.

"Y-yes." Roxas managed to say before he slumped against the stranger, trying desperately to remain on his feet. The man barked several sharp words at the caravan. Roxas tried to understand but felt his command of the language slipping under the hammer of his headache. One of the caravan guards hurried over to take the _viara_ as the merchants spoke to the stranger. They were clearly trying to placate him but not having much luck. Finally the man in black shook his head in disgust and turned his attention to Roxas. The blonde found himself boosted onto a new _viara, _this one young and strong. It took off at a much faster pace as soon as the stranger mounted. He was mumbling rapidly to himself in the Hyre language and Roxas wanted to question him but just couldn't find the strength. He dreamed longingly of water, cold, crisp water…

It wasn't long, though, before the man pulled the _viara_ to a stop. Roxas found himself helped down again then gently tugged into a waiting shop. The blonde almost fainted as he felt beautiful cool air envelope him. This building was magically cooled! It felt heavenly and Roxas closed his eyes as the man guided him to some cushions, speaking rapidly in the Hyre tongue again. The blonde opened his eyes as something was pressed into his hand.

"Oh!" Roxas drank the chilled fruit juice eagerly, completely draining the glass. The man laughed and poured him another.

"Prince?" Roxas blinked, his command of the language coming back a bit as the proprietor of the shop spoke to them. It was a café, he saw now, serving hot and cold beverages and tasty little snacks. But how had they known he would be arriving? His confusion only increased as the man in black replied.

"Do you have anything cold to eat? I believe he's suffering from heat exhaustion. Also, could you find something suitable for him to wear?" Roxas blushed and looked down at his clothes. They were far too tight and brief for the desert climate. All his exposed skin was cherry red. The café owner, a short man with a ready smile, bobbed a quick bow.

"We have some lovely melon, my lord, and paopu fruit." That perked Roxas' interest. He'd never seen fresh paopu fruit before, only candied and dried. The man in black nodded.

"That sounds excellent. And coffee for me, of course." The shopkeeper clapped his hands and a girl brought out a tray full of freshly sliced melon and paopu. Roxas tried a piece of paopu and sighed in pleasure at the cool, sweet taste of the fruit. Feeling a million times better, he finally paid attention to his savior.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name." Roxas blushed faintly as the man laughed, pulling down his headdress. Roxas blinked as he realized the stranger was a young man… a very attractive young man with spiky red hair, flashing green eyes and startlingly pale skin.

"That's because I didn't give it. Prince Axel, at your service." Axel gave him a small bow, a hand pressed against his chest as Roxas gaped. The blond regained control of himself as one of the shop girls refilled the pitcher of fruit juice.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I had no idea." Roxas was guiltily aware of his earlier thoughts, where he'd considered Axel a desert barbarian. The Prince shrugged with a smile before taking a small sip of his coffee.

"Mmm, strong coffee… no offense was given or taken. You were too far gone to heat exhaustion to greet the King properly, let alone an eighth son!" Axel's gaze trailed over him as Roxas blinked at that. Eight? "Your clothing is terrible. I can't believe the caravan master let you wear that. What was that idiot thinking?"

"They didn't really want me along." Roxas admitted and Axel grimaced.

"Even worse. Unless you did something to offend them?" Axel gave him a very sharp glance and Roxas was suddenly aware of the bright intelligence in those green eyes. They seemed to see right into his soul. The blonde quickly shook his head, glad he could deny it honestly. "Umph. I'll talk to my brother about it. Politeness costs nothing, as every merchant should remember." Roxas wondered for a moment what a prince would have to do with merchants then promptly forgot about it as he took a slice of the melon. It was firm and a little crunchy, full of moisture. "Well, welcome to Hyre. I promise, it's a lot better than what you've seen so far!"

"I hope so." Roxas thought of what had happened to him in the past week and winced. "I had to sell my horse halfway through the desert. He just couldn't keep up… I hope the nomads take good care of him." Roxas felt very sad at the loss of his horse. The gelding had been with him for years and had been his favorite in the whole stables.

"I'm sure." Axel tactfully refrained from mentioning that the nomads in the Anvil, as they called the deep desert, would have no use for a horse. The _viara_ were much better for traveling and he was sure the horse had been in the cooking pot before Roxas had got out of camp. But the blonde probably didn't want to hear that. "I should take you to a healer for that sunburn." Roxas looked down at himself, startled.

"It's just a sunburn." He said dismissively then winced as Axel gently tapped the back of his hand, pulling away from even that slight contact.

"A sunburn is a _burn_, Roxas, and if you're not about to blister I would be surprised." Axel's voice was gentle and Roxas looked up, meeting concerned green eyes. "And sleeping is going to be a nightmare. The healers have remedies that will help take away the pain and promote healing." Roxas swallowed nervously then nodded. He'd been having trouble sleeping for a week thanks to his constant burns.

"If you're sure." He said tentatively. He felt like he was imposing on the redhead. Didn't he have, well, something else to do? But he was the eighth son so perhaps not. Or perhaps the King had asked him to play host. Axel smiled, sipping his coffee.

"I am. We should – ah." Roxas looked up as one of the shop girls stopped by their table, offering Axel a folded bundle of black cloth. The redhead took it with a smile and a nod. "This is for you. I take it your wearing underthings?" Roxas blushed and nodded. "Just change into it then." Roxas hesitated then very quickly stripped, ignoring the giggling of the girls as he pulled on the black robe. It shifted uncomfortably over his burns but he had the feeling it would be better in the long run. It would at least some him from more in the future. "Good. Now, let me show you how to wind a head scarf." That took some effort and Roxas was sure he'd have to practice for a long time before he was anywhere near as fast as a native Hyrian. But he finally got it in place. "Good. Ready to go?" Roxas nodded and Axel waved over a shop girl, who brought them a tiny chalkboard with a total. Axel examined it briefly then pulled out several gold coins, passing them to the girl. "Keep the change." Roxas followed Axel out to the _viara,_ feeling a thousand times better.

Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Vdala

Axel watched thoughtfully as the healer worked a soothing layer of ointment onto Roxas' skin.

It was hard to tell for certain but he was liking the young prince more than he'd expected. Despite his breezy assurances to his father, Axel hadn't really been looking forward to showing him around. Not that he had any objection to being a tour guide – he rather enjoyed that – but he'd thought the boy might be a spoiled brat. Plenty of Hyrian nobles were already starting to go that way, even after a short time of riches. But while Roxas was very much aware of his rank he also had very good manners. He also looked rather cute, if you looked past the burns and the peeling skin. Unfortunately there was a lot of that.

"Feeling better?" Axel said as he helped Roxas fold his headdress again. The blonde looked up at him with a smile, blue eyes bright and alert. Axel was a bit taken with his eyes, blue was a very rare color in Hyra.

"Much better. Thank you. Are you going to take me to the palace?" Roxas pulled himself up onto the _viara_ this time, holding a canvas bag tightly in one hand. It held the ointments and medications the healer had sold them. Axel jumped up behind him and chucked the reins, sending the _viara_ into motion.

"Oh, in time. I thought we'd see a bit of the city first." Axel said easily and Roxas took the opportunity to look around as they traveled.

Vdala was a beautiful city. Built primarily out of mud bricks, it was full of beautiful arches, domes and towers. Axel had always thought it was amazing what you could do with humble adobe and a bit of wood or metal scaffolding. The river allowed for gardens as well, and they paused at one of those as Roxas exclaimed in delight.

"Are those paopu trees?" The blonde looked back at Axel, who pulled the _viara_ to a stop. The beast halted obediently. She had eaten and drunk in the morning and could go without food or water for as long as a week, although he wouldn't ask that of her without good cause.

"They certainly are. Would you like to see?" Axel smiled as Roxas slid off the _viara_ eagerly. Then he looked at the bag in his hands with a frown. "Just hang that over the saddle horn. It will be fine." Roxas looked at him worriedly but obeyed as Axel slid out of the saddle. "Stay. Guard." He ordered the _viara_ in his own tongue and the beast took on a watchful aspect. That was the main reason the strange animals were more popular than camels. Camels were very smart too but few of them could be trained as thoroughly as a good _viara._ Axel followed Roxas as he ventured into the garden. It was only a small residential one but it was full of trees. The paopu in particular offered beautiful shade and Roxas reached up to touch a waxy fruit before Axel cleared his throat. "Those are reserved for the poor." He said apologetically as Roxas glanced at him. "Taking them is a crime."

"Oh." Roxas drew his hand away. "I'm sorry. Are there many gardens like this?" He found it delightful. It was nothing like a Northern garden – the grass was harsh desert scrub, not thick green – but it was very pleasant. Several young women with babies were sitting beneath a copse of trees, enjoying the shade and chatting. Roxas couldn't make out the words but the distant sound of their voices reminded him of birdsong. They were wearing robes very similar to Axel's, but in many colors and with hoods and veils instead of headdresses.

"All over the city. The trees need plenty of watering, but the river gives more than we could ever take. And the trees give back a great deal of shade." Axel smiled as Roxas examined a few flowering bushes. They were carefully clipped to avoid the growth of the great, barbed thorns that made the bushes tricky to eat even for _viara_. "There's a much bigger garden at the palace." Axel mentioned after they had explored for a while. Roxas gave the shade a longing look before nodding.

"We should go see it then." He said positively and Axel smiled to himself, amused. Roxas sounded so young yet so mature. It made the redhead wonder.

"I'm curious. If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" Axel finally asked. Appearance wise he would have put Roxas at fourteen or fifteen but he seemed older. The blonde quickly confirmed that.

"I'm eighteen." He said and Axel eyed him, a touch surprised. "I know, I look younger." Roxas sounded grumpy and Axel blinked. He hadn't expected the boy would be able to read his expression under the headdress. But then, perhaps he'd just guessed.

"You sound eighteen." Axel said as he set the _viara_ into motion again. Roxas clung to the saddle horn for a moment before regaining his balance, then laughed. It was a sweet, carefree sound.

"Cloud said I sounded like I was ten." Roxas said wryly and Axel had to grin.

"My second oldest brother said I have the brain of a twelve year old once." Axel said confidentially. "Of course, he's a hopeless prude – oh, look, see that place?" Roxas turned his head to look curiously and blinked at the beautiful women sitting on the balconies of a lovely building. It was the same mud brick as the rest of the city but it had beautiful arches designed to let in plenty of air. Canopies gave the women enough shade that they could wear light, gauzy robes and no veils. "That's my favorite whorehouse."

"Axel!" Roxas slapped his shoulder without thinking, then blushed. He didn't know the redhead well enough for that! But the prince just laughed.

"Ah, Roxas, haven't you ever been to a whorehouse? I'll have to take you." Roxas blushed darker although it was hard to tell with the sunburn. He'd never been to a whorehouse in his life. Cloud would have had five kinds of fits if he had. On the other hand, he didn't really need to worry about Cloud anymore. "That's a very good one. The girls there will have dinner with you, play cards or plaques and make you feel like the greatest man alive in the bedroom. And you won't leave with any unpleasant mementoes. It's very expensive though." Axel sounded regretful. "I only go there once in a while."

"Oh. Maybe not then." Roxas thought of his money situation with a wince. He was being paid a small allowance, dispersed directly to a bank account in his name from Cloud's embassy in Hyra. It would give him decent spending money but wouldn't cover too many visits to expensive cathouses. Axel glanced at him thoughtfully.

"Father would probably be willing to cough up a bit extra for me to entertain you. I'll talk to him about it." Axel smiled and Roxas marveled a bit at how easily he was reading the redhead's expressions even with the headdress obscuring his face. "If you're eighteen it's about time for the rite of passage, I think."

"I don't need that." Roxas said, a bit miffed. Did Axel think he was a virgin? Well, he was, but still. "But I – wouldn't object." Roxas glanced back but they were out of sight of the pretty women. It was probably just as well. Roxas turned his attention back to the city.

The passed through several districts, including a middle class neighborhood and then an open air market. Roxas found that enchanting. There were many tents set up and barkers were calling out the wares within, trying to entice people to enter the brightly colored tents. Axel had to maneuver the _viara_ carefully at times and Roxas clung to the saddle as she did a strange three legged hop to avoid squashing a heedless child. Axel swore at the boy as the child scrambled off. The gesture the boy threw back was obscene and Roxas choked a little as Axel returned it. They finally made their way out of the market and went into an upper class neighborhood. Roxas was startled, though, when he realized it was not a human one. There were some humans on the streets here, mostly passing through or servants, but the inhabitants were clearly Jorta.

Roxas was really not familiar at all with the crab people. The only ones he'd met had been merchants from the city-states on the coast, and they'd kept a low profile. These Jorta were quite different. They looked like giant crabs but had a second set of arms beneath the first, with long fingered and agile hands. Their first set of 'hands' were actually claws, meant to tear apart prey and enemies. Most of the Jorta here, though, probably only used them to eat. Their creamy shells were carved and inlaid with precious metals and gems, and delicately tinted with colorings to create walking works of art. Scarves were wound around their bodies as well and Roxas watched, wide-eyed, as a pair of Jorta discussed something in a language that seemed to involve a great deal of clicking.

"You've never met Jorta before?" Axel said quietly and Roxas shook his head. Exchanging a few words with a trader hardly counted. "You probably won't have to deal with them much. They keep to themselves. If you do, though, remember to keep your face absolutely still. Jorta find human and T'assa expressions repulsive."

"They do?" That startled Roxas for a moment until he thought about the chitin. Jorta weren't capable of anything like human and plant people expressions. "Oh, I see. Do you know anything else about them?" Roxas was curious now and Axel laughed softly.

"Oh yes. I love languages and I'm very good with them." Axel rattled off a quick phrase in that odd tongue he'd heard, punctuating it with several snaps of his fingers. "Can you snap your fingers? It's not necessary for basic communication, but if you want to master the Jorta tongue you need to." Roxas tilted his head and easily snapped his fingers. He'd been able to do that since childhood. "Excellent! I can teach you sometime if you want."

"Sure. It sounds interesting." Roxas watched another Jorta and saw what Axel meant about the snapping. Jorta were constantly clicking their claws as they spoke, probably to convey emotions and emphasis. "My land doesn't have this many Jorta." Briefly, he wondered why. It was probably the heat. The T'assa plant people didn't mind cold at all compared to dryness, but the Jorta hated the cold. They also hated the T'assa and Cloud's kingdom had plenty of the plant people, so maybe that was another reason. "You don't have any T'assa here, do you?"

"Oh god no. They hate it here." Axel said, confirming Roxas' thoughts. "Don't get me wrong, they _can_ live in deserts. They just don't like having shriveled balls."

"What!" Roxas turned to stare at the redhead and Axel grinned wickedly.

"Well, that's what I call it. You know those fronds they have on their back?" Roxas nodded. He'd seen and spoken to T'assa plenty of times. He even knew their language. "They shrivel up and turn into little balls in this heat. If they want to mate here, they have to immerse themselves in water. Well, so do the Jorta, but that's how they normally do it. And see, those fronds are like – like really big boobs on a woman, or full trousers for a man." Axel shrugged with a smile. "So when they shrivel it's very unattractive."

"Oh. Yes, they would hate that." Roxas shuddered a little as he remembered some of his interactions with the T'assa. They tended towards hedonism and were perfectly willing to cross interspecies boundaries. Although he strongly suspected the one who'd asked if he was willing to give her a backrub had been teasing him. Still, avoiding a place because of a cosmetic problem was totally normal for the T'assa.

"It's too bad really. They definitely add something. What, exactly, it's hard to say but it's definitely something." Axel smiled, remembering the time he'd been sent as an ambassador to the Tawny Islands. They were actually quite close, just a bit out to sea where the Virgin River emptied into the ocean. The climate couldn't be more different though. Blessed with plenty of rain, they were an important supplier of fruits and nuts to the mainland. T'assa were plentiful there and one of them had managed to get him into the most amazing trouble his family had ever seen. Axel still thought it had been worth it although his father would have begged to disagree.

The last neighborhood they went through was the mansions and gardens of the very rich. Guards stood at the gates and touched the hilts of their swords as they passed, although Axel was unconcerned. Roxas peeked past the wrought iron gates, seeing private gardens and even fountains in tiny courtyards. The city didn't have room for large estates but these were still quite luxurious.

It was nothing, however, compared to the castle. Made out of more mud brick, the castle had clearly been put together over a long, long period of time. There was a great courtyard in front of the palace gates and Axel pulled the _viara_ to a halt beside a great sculpture. It was a pillar, reaching high into the sky and Roxas marveled at how smooth the sides were. The top and bottom were beautifully carved.

"You like it? It's the Pillar of Loyalty. Traditionally, the severed heads of traitors decorate the bottom of it." Axel gestured expansively at the landmark as Roxas looked at him wide-eyed. "It doesn't see much use though. The last time was in my great grandpapa's day. The royal bard's head ended up there."

"What did he do?" Roxas asked, interested. Axel's smile widened into a grin.

"Seduced great-grandmamma. Family legend says we're all descended from him, not great-grandpapa. It's hard to say for sure though." Axel gazed up at the pillar approvingly for a moment as Roxas thought about that. In his home, no child with dubious ancestry would ever inherit the throne. Noble blood was far too important. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The guards opened the gates for them as they rode up, saluting their prince by placing a hand over their hearts. Axel returned the gesture and Roxas copied him, wishing he knew more about manners here. Although from the few things Cloud had told him, Northern manners would be acceptable enough if alien. Gardens surrounded the palace and they were truly impressive, filled with fruit trees and flowers as well as pretty paved paths and pleasant benches nestled invitingly beneath the trees. But they didn't linger as Axel handed over his _viara_ to the stablehands.

"It's getting a bit late. I was wondering. Did you want to meet the family tonight, or would you prefer a quiet dinner in your rooms?" Axel asked, looking at Roxas thoughtfully. The blonde looked tired and a bit strained despite his curiosity. Roxas hesitated a moment before managing a smile.

"Please… I don't want to be standoffish, but it's been a very long day." He offered and Axel nodded.

"It's not a problem. You can meet everyone tomorrow." Axel thought the meetings would go better anyway once Roxas had a full night's sleep. And he still looked pretty bad, between the sunburn and the aftereffects of the heatstroke. No one would blame him for not coming to supper. "Let me show you to your room." Axel led the way briskly, then caught himself and slackened his pace a bit for Roxas. He habitually moved swiftly, almost running, but the blonde had much shorter legs.

Roxas felt a bit scornful as he looked at the palace furnishings. The basic construction was simple but with the influx of wealth from the arcane silver, the royal family had started decorating the palace in an ostentatious style. Pretty tiles had been inlaid into the walls and the oil lamps were chased with gold and silver. It reeked of the nouveau rich and that was something Roxas hated.

"A bit overdone, isn't it?" Axel's voice held a note of laughter and Roxas blushed, hoping the redhead hadn't read that in his expression. "It's a huge improvement though. My brother says the old lamps were just pottery and the servants tended to break them. Can't break these." Axel gestured with one hand as they passed by a little sitting room. Roxas glanced in, seeing a colorful mural of birds in flight on one wall. "And the murals are better too. The old ones… well, the artists were enthusiastic but not skilled. I actually saw a few of those, before father had them repainted. Most of this was done before my time."

"Ah." Roxas decided to keep his opinions to himself. He really wanted to make a good impression on Axel, although he wasn't sure why. "It's very nice. Very cool." That was true. The abode castle was the cooled beautifully and very pleasant, with plenty of windows. Roxas thought he might enjoy living here, once he redecorated his room at least.

"It is, isn't it? And that's mostly without cooling spells, although we do put a few on when the summer heat is at its worst." They finally reached the royal wing of the castle and Axel jerked abruptly to a halt, Roxas almost running into him. Then the blonde had to flatten himself to the wall with a yelp as one boy almost ran into Axel, darting past with a second in hot pursuit. "Brats! I'll be telling your mother!" Axel shouted after them but they ignored him completely, yelling at each other. "Ugh. Kids." Axel muttered something unflattering as Roxas wondered who the boys were. There met no one else, though, and soon Axel was pushing aside a curtain. "This is your room. Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." Roxas was fudging a little, although the room was quite nice in an overblown way. It was decorated mostly in warm red and saffron yellows, with a large overstuffed divan covered in pillows and very comfortable looking chairs. A low, beautiful table was decorated with an intricate mosaic made out of beautiful exotic woods. There was a magical lamp made of red glass and gold to the right of the couch, positioned to give light to a late night reader. Great arches gave a beautiful view of the garden. For a moment Roxas wondered what would happen if it rained, but then he saw the screens that could be pulled into place to stop the rain from entering the room. With a place as dry as this, that was probably all that was needed. "Thank you very much Axel. I appreciate your hospitality." Roxas turned and met the redhead's gaze, smiling up at him. The prince smiled back, his bright green eyes warm. "Would you like to join me for supper?" Roxas offered. Meeting the whole family would be a bit much, but just Axel would be different. And he really needed a friend in this alien place. Could Axel be the one? They were almost the same age so it seemed likely. The redhead's smile widened and he nodded.

"I would love to. Let me go talk to the servants." Roxas tucked his bags away, settling into the room and taking a quick peek at the bedroom. The large, luxurious bed met with his immediate approval. So did the way the windows let air in to breeze over the sleeping area. It would be nice and comfortable at night. When he came back out Axel was carrying a small tray of food to the table. "They had some curry ready. I hope it won't be too hot." Axel sounded concerned but Roxas laughed.

"Don't worry, I love hot food." He said confidently. It was a boast he was soon ruing as he actually tried the chickpea curry. He had to eat quite a bit of the flatbread to help quench the flames. So did the yoghurt, particularly when he mixed it into the curry. He and Axel chatted as they ate and Roxas began to learn a bit more about the people of Hyra… just enough to know that he had a lot more to learn. But hopefully Axel would be there to teach him.

Roxas had a feeling that he would be a friend.


	3. Not What He Seems

Author's Note: My computer is borked and being repaired, which means a lot of half-done chapters are inaccessible. I'll probably just rewrite them, like this one, but it's going to take time. Sorry everyone.

Roxas sighed to himself as he slowly sipped his coffee. The dark, heavy brew was bitter and thick on his tongue. It was very good coffee but the style of it was unfamiliar.

Everything in Hyra was unfamiliar. It had been almost a week and Roxas thought he was adapting well. His sunburn was almost healed and he was getting used to the sun. The customs weren't really hard to understand although it was a bit deflating to discover that the 'barbaric' culture of Hyra had a written history at least a thousand years longer than his own kingdom. Apparently, 'barbaric' only meant 'far away and strange.'

The one main problem he was having was trying to keep the Royal family straight. Axel was the eighth son but he wasn't the last. There were ten princes in all from the King's eight wives, the maximum number any man could have. The youngest two were the twin boys who had almost run into him on his first day. Their birth had been considered particularly auspicious, since it had avoided the unlucky number nine. The girls were nowhere close, with only six daughters. Unfortunately for Roxas, the King was almost seventy and most of his sons and daughters were married. The sons had mostly married lesser nobility and prominent merchant's daughters, while the daughters were married to the merchants themselves. In Roxas' home that would have been impossible, unless the marriages were morganatic, but Hyra looked at that custom with amused disdain. For a very long time Hyra's Royal family had been spurned by other Royals, so they made alliances where they would.

For Roxas, that meant there was a horde of in-laws and children to try to keep straight as well as the Royal family themselves. His head was swimming with names and faces. Fortunately no one really expected him to remember yet, but he needed to master it. One of the few people he had fixed into his memory was Prince Axel.

Axel was a conundrum for him. Roxas liked him. He really did, but the Prince was… not the kind of person he should like. He was an alcoholic. Roxas had been slow to realize that since Axel was rarely staggering drunk, but he was drinking all through the day. He had coffee and liqueur with breakfast, wine as a snack, wine with lunch and more wine and spiked coffee with supper. It didn't affect him much throughout the day but that didn't save Axel from being a drunk. His 'job' in the palace seemed to consist of being a gopher for his father. Which wasn't too bad, exactly, but wasn't good compared to the responsibilities his siblings were shouldering.

Roxas sighed then reminded himself to be grateful. If Axel weren't largely free of responsibilities, the redhead wouldn't have been able to show him around. With his father's permission, Axel was spending almost all of his time with Roxas. Even if the redhead wasn't the sort of person he would admire normally, Roxas knew he would have been lost without him.

So now he was waiting for Axel to finish his magic lesson. That was the one commitment the King would not allow Axel to forgo. Roxas had been told it was because Axel was an absolutely awful wizard and needed all the help he could get. He hadn't asked the redhead about it - that would have been unconscionably rude. But he believed it. Even Axel's mother took it for granted that her son was incompetent with magic.

Roxas sighed, looking into his coffee again. He needed to make more friends. He really liked Axel but the redhead just wasn't reliable.

To Roxas, that was important.

* * *

"Prince." The breathy voice pulled the redhead out of his musings and he blinked, realizing he'd been staring at the plate of baked cabbage far too long. "You must pay attention if you wish to complete this properly." Axel lifted his gaze to the arch-mage beside him. He was not human, but rather a Jorta. Instead of the robes a human wizard would wear his shell had been inlaid with a pattern of gold and lapis lazuli that signified his status.

"Yes Master." Axel said respectfully and the Jorta clicked his claws in what Axel recognized as a time reminder. Turning his attention back to the plate he began his spell again. It was a multi-part spell and very difficult, like most of his 'parlor tricks'.

Axel commonly did tricks for his family, sometimes over supper. Most of his family thought of his as a glorified secretary and very poor wizard. They didn't realize how much effort actually went into messing up his tricks in entertaining ways. The few wizards to visit the royal family thought he was just a lucky idiot. Only his father, his oldest brother and his wizard brother knew differently. Well, and his Master. But Jorta simply didn't gossip. It was one of their most admirable traits and the reason Axel had asked one of them to teach him in the first place. Master Jashwil knew exactly what he was doing, of course. Jorta rarely practiced such indirection… status was too important to them… but it was far from unknown.

Recently Axel had been stepping up the act. He'd always pretended to be a gadfly with no thoughts in his head aside from clothes, food and wine. That wasn't hard since he liked clothing and food always had been rather important to him. The wine, though, was a sham. He'd never drank half as much as everyone thought. Turning wine into water wasn't a hard spell. It resulted in some nasty, brackish stuff but Axel had learned to drink it without so much as a twinge. Lately, he and his master had been working hard at perfecting a new spell. It was designed to counteract the effects of dream smoke. They were also working on a second one designed to take care of the effects of arcanite. That was proving particularly challenging and Master Jashwil had admitted that it might be impossible.

Dream smoke was a white powder. Manufactured by the T'assa of the Tawny Islands, it was a religious sacrament for them. It also had a much different effect on the plant people than it did on humans. For the T'assa it induced hallucinations and a state of euphoria, but the crash was absolutely terrible. A T'assa coming down from a dream smoke high would experience violent nausea, tremors and cold sweats. Taking more wouldn't help, either, it would only intensify the nausea. So T'assa indulged in it quite rarely and only for certain religious rituals. For humans, the drug acted differently. It created a dreamy state that could be renewed again and again. Chronic users would forget to eat and bathe. The plant people were predatory in nature and in their own society, drug addicts were not long for this world. They had nothing but amused contempt for anyone who would succumb to such a thing and saw nothing wrong with supplying humans with the drug. The King had banned the stuff but there was a lively underground trade in it… a trade Axel aimed to infiltrate. To do that he would have to pretend to be taking it.

Arcanite was quite different but equally troublesome. Related to the arcane silver, it was mined up in very small quantities and kept carefully separate. It was supposed to be delivered to the collegium of the arcane, but Axel had heard hints that some of it was going elsewhere. That was bad, because arcanite could be used to fuel far more powerful rituals than the silver. It also could be used to enhance a wizard's strength. The second use was addictive and could go very badly for everyone since insanity was one of the effects of long term use. Axel thought it might be possible for him to infiltrate the underground trade in it since he was known for being rich, alcoholic and quite bad at magic. Just the sort of person who might turn to arcanite for help.

"Excellent." Axel looked up from his work with a smile. The spell was complete and his Master was testing it. "It is suitable. The taste?" Axel picked up a piece of baked cabbage and popped it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Jorta were carnivorous and carrion eaters as well, so his Master could not try the dish. It tasted exactly like cabbage but Axel didn't eat the rest.

"I'm sure everyone will love it." Axel said and snapped his fingers to signify his amusement. The Jorta returned the clicking pattern as Axel tossed out the food.

"Yes indeed." Axel and his mentor exchanged a few pleasantries before Axel departed. The arch-mage could only spare a limited time for these private lessons, but that was fine. The personal attentions of such a teacher were very expensive. Quickly mounting his _viara_, Axel headed for his favorite coffee shop. There would be a pretty young blonde waiting for him there.

"Roxas!" Axel greeted the boy like a long lost friend, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. To his surprise Roxas returned the greeting and Axel felt an odd shiver at the feel of soft lips against his skin. Then he shook it off and smiled. "You're getting used to our ways."

"It's not that hard. Just a little embarrassing." Roxas said with a smile and Axel laughed, taking a seat across from him. The waitress, a pretty young thing in filmy purple silk, poured him a drink. Axel sipped it and thanked her before turning his attention back to Roxas.

"I can imagine. We do things differently here." Axel knew that in the North, such a greeting between two men simply wouldn't happen. Two women, possibly. "So how has your day been?"

"Not badly." Roxas said but Axel caught the flash of discontent in his eyes and face. Roxas had been here only a week and he was settling in well, adapting to their customs. But that wasn't all the boy needed to be happy. "Your sister was showing me how to weave a tapestry."

"Was she?" Axel knew which sister Roxas meant without asking, although he had six of them, all of them half-siblings. Only one of them was into weaving. "That's woman's work, but if you have a talent for it your efforts wouldn't be wasted." Axel said politely, popping a few sugar cubes into his coffee. Hyra society was clearly delineated in some ways, and a man taking up weaving was not really socially acceptable. On the other hand, no one would dare say so to a foreign prince. Roxas shrugged.

"I don't think I would find it interesting. I almost wish I would." Axel paused in stirring his coffee, lifting an eyebrow at the blonde. "At least then I would have something to do." The blonde sounded almost depressed.

"Ah." Axel's mind raced for a moment as he considered that. He understood exactly where Roxas was coming from. In a way, he was playing the part of a noble who had nothing to do and was wasting himself in alcohol and frivolous pastimes. Could Roxas go that way? Axel winced away from the thought. It was one thing to pretend to be useless, another thing to actually _be_ useless. "Hmm. You're getting an allowance from Cloud, aren't you?" Roxas frowned and nodded, clearly wondering why he was bringing it up. "You know, you could invest that. Get into business."

"Business?" Roxas looked shocked at the idea and Axel wondered why. "That's not something royalty does!"

"Excuse me?" Axel said dryly and Roxas had the grace to look embarrassed. "This is Hyra and Royalty does whatever it pleases. Or have you forgotten that one of my brothers is a merchant?"

"Uh, I'm sorry." Roxas mumbled and then rallied. "What could I invest in, though?"

"Hmm. That is a good question." Axel sipped his coffee and thought for a long moment, running through everything he knew. It was quite a lot. "Textiles are always good. Seems like the women can never get enough and the best silk is made in the Arista, across the Darkened Sea. If you saved up you could fund a trip. My brother could recommend a reliable sea captain. There would be the danger of losing it, of course - the sea is fickle - but if you managed to get in a load you could easily triple your investment." Axel sipped his coffee again before pulling out a flask and tipping a bit of creamy liquid into it. Roxas looked away and Axel smiled to himself, wondering how the blonde would react if he knew the 'liqueur' was actually nothing but milk and spices. "Or you could fund a caravan to Jabara, but I wouldn't recommend that." Axel's distaste was obvious and Roxas eyed him curiously. "That's for the slave trade. The arcane silver and salt mines are… arduous. Even when conditions are as good as possible, slaves tend to wear out." That wasn't something Axel liked to think of. In the past, Hyra hadn't practiced slavery much. Unfortunately the digging conditions in the mines were terrible. That was almost inevitable considering they were in the worst part of the Anvil. Even with magics to cool the mines and great caravans carrying them water, it was appalling. No free man would choose to work in such conditions, so great slave caravans regularly came to Hyra. Roxas winced but said nothing and Axel knew why. The Northern kingdom had great slave plantations. "There might be other opportunities but I can't think of them offhand. You should talk to my brother. He can point you to an up and coming merchant or artisan who just needs a bit of funding to get started."

"Perhaps I could open a shop." Roxas mused and Axel smiled, pleased at the way his mind was going. "A restaurant? Do you think Northern cuisine would sell here?"

"Maybe. But can you cook?" Roxas shook his head and Axel laughed. "Best not to then. Not many restaurants make it. You know, something good to open would be a spa." Roxas looked very surprised at that and Axel continued. "There's only one I know of in the city and it has a waiting list for membership. Or so I've heard, I've never been there." The royal palace had it's own spa facilities, including a beautiful pool of crystal clear, cold water. Roxas looked very thoughtful.

"I'll need to save up for a while for that." Was all he said and Axel nodded. Setting up a spa was not cheap, especially since it required quite a lot of magic to purify and cool the water. Axel hesitated a moment then made an offer.

"I can do the spells for you if you decide to do that." Roxas shot him a distrustful look and Axel gave him a charming smile. "I'm really not as bad as people say. But if you don't trust me, I could ask my mentor to do it." Master Jashwil would charge him for it, but the King would take care of it. Roxas suddenly seemed to think of something and looked at him curiously.

"You seem to know a lot about business. Where did you find out about all this?" He asked and Axel hesitated, then answered easily.

"Oh, just my brother. I listen, you know? And sometimes I do things for him, usually with the arcane silver. I'm pretty plugged into the magical community." The truth was, he was far more plugged in than his older brother. He might be an arch-mage but he was also a studious sort and didn't like to go to parties and other social events. Axel had far more friends, particularly among the apprentices and younger wizards. Roxas was looking at him oddly and Axel wished he hadn't shared that. Usually he wasn't so loose lipped… but something about Roxas made him want to talk. "Nevermind that though. We should get going." Axel set down his empty coffee cup and stood smoothly. "You don't want to miss any of the concert!" They were going to an open air concert and market. It was a weekend event in the summer, staged by the smaller artisans and farmers. People flocked to it, looking for deals and unique items. They would mostly be disappointed but it was always an amusing place to go on the rest days and full of unusual entertainments. Roxas laughed and stood, pulling on his headdress and adjusting the folds easily.

"I'm ready." He said, smiling to himself as he followed Axel out of the café. The redhead's enthusiasm was infectious and Roxas was really looking forward to the concert. Axel mounted the _viara_ easily and gave him a hand up. Roxas slid his arms around Axel's waist as they rode, marvelling at how skinny yet muscular the redhead was. It made him wonder what Axel would look like without his robes, but so far he hadn't seen that. It was only a matter of time though. They both used the pools in the palace. It was a nice thought but Roxas carefully set it aside. Axel was a wonderful friend and a nice person, but he just wasn't reliable enough to contemplate having as a lover.

And that was a shame.


	4. Dream Smoke

Axel breathed in the smoke deeply, letting it drift out of his nose and watching the velvety patterns rise in the light of the moon. The smoke did not move with the breeze, attracted and given form by the pattern of magic he had woven into the air. The pattern caught the smoke with a shiver and the smoke spun with a ghostly echo of laughter as the smoke daemon formed.

_What would you have of me, master? _The voice was male this time, but young and sweet. And the face it showed to him, formed out of smoke and hot desert air, was familiar. Axel ignored it. If he forgot the nature of the creature he had summoned he would be lost.

The smoke daevas was not evil in and of itself, but it was full of trickery and subtle desert magic. Its' kind were the authors of mirages, luring men and women to their deaths with the illusion of water. Often they would whisper in a mans ear, urging him to do what would be most destructive. Ignore the dust storm warnings. Seduce the married woman. Indulge yourself... the daevas were impish at best, dangerous at worst. Axel had chained this one to himself but he did not trust it. It would always speak the truth, but sometimes the truth was what hurt the most.

"What does Roxas think of me?" Axel mused aloud, suspecting he already knew the answer. The daevas did not disappoint.

_He thinks you are handsome, with beautiful eyes and long, strong hands._ The daevas voice was a caress, but it carried a subtle malice. _He thinks you are a fool. The drunken prince... they all think you are a fool. They laugh behind your back._

"They laugh to my face. They think I cannot hear." Axel said calmly. "Enough. Anything else?" The greatest power of the daevas and the reason he'd taken a chance on binding it was the ability to read surface thoughts and desires. That was often quite useful. The smoke daevas fell into a petulant silence for a moment.

_He likes the coffee. _It said sullenly and Axel laughed. _He didn't like your cabbage._

"No one liked my cabbage." Axel thought back to the prank fondly. It had been almost a week since he'd staged it. He'd told everyone he was going to make the cabbage taste like steak, but nothing had happened. Or so they thought until they ate the cabbage which superficially tasted normal, but was actually very alcoholic. Most of his family had come down with cabbage hangovers. And that had proved to be even more unpleasant than a normal one, without any of the pleasure of drinking the wine. "It was very amusing."

_They think of you as a buffoon. _Axel sighed, annoyed with the daevas. It was a master of temptation but had very little grasp of time and often lost track of what it was saying. That didn't matter much when it was tempting people who were unaware of it but with Axel, its greatest strength – invisibility – was denied to it. _You should embrace the heat. Become one with the smoke... forget all you know... there is so much to see, so much to do... _Axel paused as he lifted the hookah pipe to his lips. As always, that particular temptation weighed heavily on his heart. That was how daevas were made. Men and women of power who surrendered all they were and all they ever could be to become one more whisper on the wind... knowing everything and remembering nothing, it could be the ultimate release. Something within Axel craved that ending.

"Not just yet." He finally said and the daevas hummed in satisfaction. It knew exactly what he was thinking. "Tell me about the dream smoke. Was there anyone thinking about it tonight?" He'd been in a gathering of minor nobles tonight, a party put on by the family of a wealthy merchant. It was the merchant class Axel suspected of importing the stuff and selling it at premium prices, mostly to the nobles. This had been a perfect party to find leads.

_Yes. A girl was wishing for it._ Axel smiled briefly in satisfaction as the daevas swirled around his head, imparting an image of a rather pretty girl with brown hair. An addict could never hope to hide their desires from the daevas. _She struggles to resist. She is determined not to fall to it._

"They all are at first." Axel said cynically, then frowned. "She's familiar. Wasn't Roxas talking to her?" He'd invited the blonde, largely to give himself a bit of cover. It hadn't occurred to him that Roxas might find some trouble. Although it was probably premature to worry about that.

_Yes. He thinks she's pretty. _Axel sighed at the subtle malice in the creature's voice. Concentrating, he dismissed it, the smoke dissipating into the air. The daevas struggled against his will for a moment then vanished, mastered once again. It was no match for him. But that was why it wanted to claim him so badly.

"Hmmm." Axel considered his next move thoughtfully, staring at his hookah sightlessly. He had a duty to his father and his brother. His attraction to Roxas would have to wait, possibly forever. But the blonde could tell him the name of that girl and Axel could get close to her. Even seduce her, if necessary. "The things I do for duty." He said whimsically but there was an edge of truth to it. He wasn't interested in the girl. Beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes were commanding his attention. But the downside of being a great spy was that great spies could not boast of their accomplishments.

And that was a shame.

* * *

"Just stay away from the cabbage." Roxas muttered to Axel as they entered the party. The redhead laughed uproariously, drawing some curious glances.

"But Roxas, I can barely contain myself! My lust for cabbage is all consuming." Roxas sighed and then blinked as Axel caught his chin, drawing his face up. The redhead's eyes were bright and his smile was full of mischievous cheer. "Like my lust for you."

"Oh stop that." Roxas pulled away, wishing he wasn't blushing. Axel was getting a bit flirtatious recently. Had the redhead realized he was attracted to him? But nothing was going to happen. He was absolutely certain of that. The redhead let go of his chin with a laugh and glanced around curiously.

"You were going to introduce me to that lovely girl, weren't you?" Axel murmured and Roxas really had to fight the urge to glare at him. Was he into having harems or what? Couldn't he flirt with just one person at a time. "I need a date for the harvest festival. It's mandatory and it has to be a girl." He added and Roxas felt himself blushing again. Had the redhead noticed his... jealousy? This was getting embarrassing!

"That's Olette. She's right over there, talking to Hayner." Roxas pointed to the pair in the corner. They were discussing something intently although Pence was nowhere to be seen. Hayner and Olette were both lesser nobles while Pence was the son of a very rich merchant. If rumors were to be believed, Pence's father was arranging a marriage for him to a penniless but aristocratic girl, to lever them into the noble class. It left Roxas a bit bemused. In the North such a thing would not have been possible. Pence himself seemed happy enough with the situation and had confided in Roxas that he'd been introduced to the girl years ago and rather liked her. They weren't deeply in love but it showed signs of being a very pleasant and cordial relationship, which was about all that could be expected from something arranged.

"Olette!" Roxas called and waved as they walked over. She looked up from her conversation with a smile but Roxas didn't miss the tension around her eyes. "This is Prince Axel." He introduced his companion and Olette's smile warmed. That vaguely annoyed Roxas, especially when Axel took her hand with a courtly gesture. "And this is Hayner." Roxas said to divert Axel's attention but the sandy haired boy laughed and put up a hand.

"I was just leaving. See you later Olette." Roxas growled to himself as Hayner left. He really didn't want to leave Axel and Olette alone. He was attracted to them both and the thought of the two of them getting together was difficult to contemplate. But he quickly found himself feeling like a third wheel as the two of them quietly talked and flirted. Roxas sighed and left, going to the buffet. Neither of them noticed his departure. Glancing over the food on display he picked up a plate and cautiously spooned out some rice. Rice here could be rather deceptive and he didn't want his mouth assaulted with fiery spices. A cautious bite proved that the rice was sweetened with coconut milk and he quickly added a bit of seared lamb and cauliflower. He was going to stay away from the cabbage, just in case.

Roxas enjoyed the music and chatted with a few of the other guests, but couldn't help but feel a bit lonely and out of place. Axel had co-opted Olette and neither one of them had any attention for him and Hayner had vanished. Sighing, he took a drink of a sweet cocktail he'd taken from the buffet. The sweetness struggled to hide the powerful alcoholic kick and Roxas licked his lips before taking another sip. It was really very good. Maybe he would have another. Or maybe not. It would be rather ridiculous to be down on Axel for his drinking then do the same at the first opportunity.

"Roxas!" Hayner. Roxas glanced over to see Hayner, Olette and Axel. Olette was hanging off the redhead's arm and smiling. Axel was smiling too but there was something just a touch forced about it. He didn't think anyone else would have noticed but Roxas was getting very familiar with Axel. "We're going to have a smoke in the back. Would you like to come?" Roxas was tempted to refuse. He wasn't fond of tobacco smoke and the hookas they used here were odd. On the other hand, it was something to do.

"Sure, why not." He agreed and resigned himself to smelling like smoke until he got back to the palace. At least it would help him fit in. Hayner led them all into a very plush little room. It was upholstered in dark blue velvet and the chairs and furnishings were made out of dark, solid wood. To Roxas' surprise there was no hookah. Instead, there were odd, very long pipes and some white powder. Olette picked one up and quickly put in the powder, reaching for the candle. But Hayner caught her hand.

"Come on Olette, take your time. Let Axel and Roxas try it first." He gently chided her and she laughed, a short staccato sound. Axel laughed too, a sound like warm chocolate as he reached for a pipe, picking it up and tapping it.

"I've heard of this but never tried it." He lit his pipe on the candle and murmured something beneath his breath. Roxas tried to make it out but couldn't. He set the white powder in the pipe and took a long, slow pull, holding the smoke in his lungs before releasing it in a cloud. Roxas felt a bit dizzy as he breathed in the second hand smoke and gripped Axel's arm for support. Then he blushed as the redhead put an arm around his waist. "Ah, Roxas, I hope you're not a lightweight!" Roxas looked up, vaguely surprised. There was an oddly serious note beneath the teasing. What did Axel mean?

"I'll be fine." He didn't know what this was but Olette and Hayner were already lighting their pipes. Roxas took his and lit it on the candle. Axel tried to grip it but Roxas evaded his hands, frowning at him and the redhead seemed to give up. He took a pull from the pipe. "Oh!" The blonde swayed as the room seemed to suddenly stretch out, becoming long and oddly distant. He felt Axel helping him down into a chair and giggled as he saw the patterns of smoke dancing in the air. They were beautiful, so very beautiful. "This is nice." He murmured softly and sighed as he felt Axel's breath against his ear.

"It is, isn't it?" There was that oddly serious note to his voice again but Roxas couldn't find the will to care. The smoke was too beautiful. He lazily took another pull from the pipe and enjoyed the feeling as his mind seemed to expand again. He'd never felt anything like it before but it felt so good, better than alcohol and maybe even better than sex. Although maybe not. Roxas tucked himself against Axel's side, breathing in the warm scent of his friend.

"Axel." He murmured softly, looking up and meeting bright green eyes. The redhead seemed startled as Roxas reached up to pull his head down. A small part of his mind was trying to ask what he thought he was doing but the rest of him wasn't listening. Axel's lips were so soft and warm and tasted sweet. Roxas immersed himself in the sensations and wanted to loose himself in the depths of the feeling...

"Roxas, you're drunk." The blonde whimpered as he felt warm hands tangling in his hair, pulling him away. He looked up at Axel and even in his haze he noticed that the redhead's eyes were clear. How could he be resisting the smoke so much? But he drank all the time. He probably had practice.

"It's smoke, not alcohol." Roxas protested weakly and tried to pull Axel down again. He could feel the redhead's struggle. "You want me." He was absolutely certain of it. Axel wanted him and right now, he wanted Axel. Why shouldn't they do what they wanted to do? Their lips met and Roxas was vaguely aware of something poking him, even through heavy robes.

"God, Roxas, you're killing me here." Axel shifted and Roxas mumbled a protest as the poking went away. He wanted that. "Not here. Not in front of them." The redhead muttered and Roxas followed his glance. Hayner and Olette were laughing at them. Olette was sprawled over the cushions, her pupils tiny and a silly smile on her face. Hayner wasn't quite as far gone but was also very high.

"There's more rooms." Roxas whispered and Axel groaned before picking him up, carrying him easily out of the room and ignoring the laughter from Olette and Hayner. Roxas sighed and curled against Axel's shoulder, tangling his hand in the redhead's robes. He wanted this. Wanted this more than anything. "I love you." He whispered and felt a strange stillness from Axel for a moment.

"Hush." Was all he said before he set Roxas down on a bed. It was dark green and the covers were very soft. Roxas rubbed his face against the pillow, enjoying the feeling then looked up as Axel's hand touched his forehead. There was such concern on his face. Then the redhead said something in the sibilant, alien language of magic. Roxas yawned, suddenly sleepy, so very sleepy... he nuzzled Axel's hand before slipping into a deep sleep. His dreams were filled with thoughts of the redhead doing absurd things they could both laugh at and warm hands on his arm.

It was innocent but a very wonderful dream.

* * *

"Shit." Axel breathed to himself as Roxas fell asleep. He was amazingly cute, his face relaxed and his golden hair spread over the pillow. "Shitshitshit." Axel shifted uncomfortably, getting his erection under control. Why did Roxas have to get so affectionate when he was drunk?

Although it wasn't precisely drunk. Axel cursed again as he wished none of this had happened. He'd succeeded in his mission to get an in with one of the dream smoke dealers. It had turned out to be Hayner, although he was also using it himself. Most likely he was getting paid for his efforts in more of the dream smoke. Axel needed to follow the trail upwards, which was going to be difficult but he had the first link.

He hadn't anticipated them including Roxas, however. There had been no chance to warm the blonde and his attempt to deaden the dream smoke in the blonde's pipe had been a failure. He would have to speak to the boy tomorrow but that was going to be difficult. How could he ask Roxas to avoid the dream smoke when he was taking it himself? Axel cursed again to himself as he sat down in a chair. He would need to stay here a while to make it look like he and Roxas had slept together. Putting the blonde to sleep to avoid ravishing him was not in character for his image as a drunken fool.

"Hm." Axel contemplated Roxas for a long moment. At least now he knew the blonde was definitely attracted to him, but how to go about following up on that? Axel wanted him, wanted him badly. He felt a shiver as he remembered that kiss, the way Roxas' lips had felt against his. Yes, he wanted the blonde. But could he risk letting Roxas in on the act? "Not just yet." He murmured to himself. If Roxas ended up falling under the spell of the dream smoke it would eat through his savings quickly. He would tell Hayner anything to get more. The thought made Axel wince but he knew he couldn't risk it. The contacts he'd been carefully nurturing were too important for that. "Damn." He mentally cursed himself again for getting Roxas involved in this, even accidentally. The only comfort was that Hayner and Olette had probably already been planning something like this. He had only hastened it.

Musing to himself, he decided to see if his mother could talk to Roxas. Not his real mother, but rather the King's first wife. He wasn't at all close to his real mother. If rumors were to be believed, she'd suffered a massive depression after his birth and refused to nurse him. The King's first wife, Shasti, had recently weaned her girl and had taken over his care. Given the distance between them and the connection he'd always felt with Shasti, he suspected it was true. Children were raised communally by the wives but there was always a special connection between the actual mother and child which Axel had never felt with his own mother.

Yes, he would speak to her. If anyone could explain the dangers of dream smoke to Roxas it would be her. Of course, that would probably make the blonde think even less of him but perhaps Shasti could help with that as well. She knew what he was doing too although she had never said anything about it. But she laughed at his pranks and just smiled when the others complained.

Yes, perhaps his mother could help. It certainly couldn't hurt.


	5. A Brief Interlude

Author's Note: Sorry I'm slow updating everyone! I might have, um, gotten into Let's Plays on youtube. _ *watches Call of Cthulhu* You're having trouble because your character is the poncy idiot who stayed at a hotel where you found tons of dead bodies in the office! God, you deserve to die...

Axel stood on his balcony, smoking a cigarette in a long holder. It was a gift from his brother for his naming day and was made out of fine amber. He tilted the holder to catch the dying light of a glorious sunset, shining through the cherry colored stone. Staring into the lush, warm colors he breathed the spell of the daevas into the smoke. The daemon swirled around him with a haunting laugh, taking a different form this time. Axel looked calmly into the smoky image of his mother's face, all sharp lines and large eyes.

"How is Roxas doing?" He asked the daevas, prepared for more mischief. The daevas did not disappoint.

_The Queen has spoken to him. He knows about the danger of the dream smoke and he thinks you are even more of a fool. _Axel winced inwardly. That was inevitable but still unpleasant to hear. The daevas bobbed and danced in malicious pleasure as it spoke. _He resents you for bedding him._

"What? But I didn't…" Axel's voice died as he considered how it would look from Roxas' point of view. Hayner and Olette had no doubt told him that, and the blonde's lack of memories could easily be attributed to the dream smoke. "I see. I'll have to speak to him." Although how to convince him of the truth was an open question. "How hostile is he?"

_Very. _The daevas laughed again and Axel sighed to himself, trying to think of something he could use to begin making up with Roxas. Maybe a hookah of his own? No, he didn't really seem to like smoking much. Axel tapped his fingers against the cigarette holder and resolved to go shopping tomorrow. He'd find something. Although should he tell the blonde the truth? Axel briefly toyed with the idea of letting Roxas think they were lovers, then regretfully discarded it. It would be safer for his cover but he couldn't do something that dishonourable. Roxas deserved to know the truth.

_The truth often hurts. _The daevas said in a wheedling tone. _But in the desert there is no pain. Nothing to forget… nothing but sand and heat and freedom from pain…_

"Freedom from responsibility. Freedom from anything meaningful." Axel breathed out the fragrant smoke, making the body of the smoke demon shift and dance. "Maybe someday. But not yet." The daevas pouted, dissolving for just a moment and then taking Roxas' face. Roxas' pout was considerably prettier than the petulant, ill tempered lines of his mother's face. Axel whispered the words of dismissal and turned away as the daevas vanished into the desert breeze.

His investigation into the dream smoke was going well. He was getting his hooks into Hayner and sooner or later would be able to trace back, finding the next rung in the ladder. However, his investigation of the arcanite was not going well at all. He'd found no hint of the apprentices or young nobles using it, and he'd attended some of the wildest parties. If there had been anything to find, he should have found it. It was possible to use the dream smoke and function for a while but arcanite warped the aura. Yet, the stuff was definitely going missing. If it wasn't being used what was being done with it?

"Maybe it's being smuggled out of the country." He mused to himself. "Hm." It did have military applications so that was troubling. "Perhaps I should go check the source." That was a less than appealing thought. The silver mines were in the depths of the stony desert. It was much higher ground than the sandy desert and was even less friendly, short on water and long on blistering heat. The only positive aspect was the lack of sandstorms, but that was really a tiny blessing compared to the painful conditions. And how could he justify the trip? No one would make it for pleasure. A slow smile crossed his lips as he thought of the perfect way. His father could decree it as a punishment for a really amazing prank. But what sort of prank? Axel took a drag from his cigarette, glancing up at the stars that were slowly being revealed as the darkness descended. The Eye of the Goddess seemed to wink at him and he smiled again.

He wasn't too fond of one of his sisters and she was even less fond of him. It would be the easiest thing in the world to prod her into a fight. But what exactly would he do to her? He'd have to speak to his master. They could surely think of something truly memorable.

It would be fun.

* * *

Roxas grunted as he hacked at the training dummies. Sweat was trickling from under the light leather armor that was all any of the warriors of Hyre wore. He'd asked one of the Prince's about that and had been informed that the added heat of chain or - god forbid - plate increased the amount of water a man needed to survive. Even leather armor could become punishing, and it was usually only worn right before a battle. Roxas was finding the heat hard to endure, even though it wasn't midday yet -

"Yaugh!" Roxas started violently as something COLD went down his back. He screeched for a moment, dropping his sword and trying to get it out. "Axel!" He panted as he finally extracted the ice cube. Axel was standing there and grinning at him like a fool. "Why did you do that?" Annoyed, he popped the cube into his mouth. Axel laughed, leaning against the practice dummy as Roxas retrieved his sword.

"Didn't it feel good?" Axel asked teasingly as Roxas glowered. "And doesn't it taste good?"

"Maybe a little." He said grudgingly, sucking slowly on the ice. It did taste nice. It hadn't felt good though. The ice had been too shocking. "What do you want?" Roxas growled, cleaning off the sword and putting it away. Then he twitched as warm fingers touched his shoulder. He couldn't really feel Axel's hand much beneath the leather but he didn't need to. He knew what Axel's hands felt like.

_I just wish I could remember more. _Roxas thought then quickly chastised himself for the wistful notion. He didn't want to sleep with Axel again. He hadn't meant to do it the first time and it just wasn't right. He didn't want to be with the redhead that way.

"Roxas, have you heard a word I was saying?" Roxas blinked and blushed darkly at the laughter in Axel's voice. It was worse because he really had missed everything he was saying. "I want to apologize. That night… we didn't do anything you know."

"What?" Roxas suddenly blinked, wondering if Axel was talking about what he thought. "Don't lie to me." Roxas said sharply, suppressing a sudden hope. He couldn't remember what they had done at all. Was that because they hadn't? But Hayner and Olette had been so sure. Axel smiled, a touch sadly and shook his head.

"I'm not lying Roxas. Dream smoke kills desire and we were both rather new to it. I'm sorry I didn't defend your virtue to your friends but, well, I didn't think they would believe me." Roxas flushed again at the phrasing. He wasn't a girl and didn't need his virtue defended! Axel was probably right though, he had to admit. Protestations of innocence were hardly ever believed and certainly not in situations like this.

"Why did you take that stuff in the first place?" Roxas had to ask and Axel lifted an eyebrow.

"Why did you?" He countered and Roxas hesitated before shaking his head. He didn't really have a good answer for that. "Don't worry about me Roxas. I'm good at handling things like that. This isn't why I tracked you down though. I have something for you." Roxas blinked then bit his lip as Axel smiled and pressed a small package into his hand. It was a gilded box wrapped with velvet cords. "Consider it my apology."

"That's not necessary." Roxas said quickly, feeling reluctant to accept the gift. It felt too… too intimate. But Axel just laughed and closed his hand over the little box.

"It's the least I can do. See you at supper tonight Roxas." The way Axel said his name sounded like a caress and Roxas flushed again as he watched Axel walk away. Then he looked down at the little box in his hand.

"If he thinks he can buy me, he can think again." Roxas muttered as he tucked the box away into his pocket and went back to his drill. He would look at it later. Maybe it was something interesting although he doubt it. Probably just a gold chain or some other bangle to impress him. Well, he wasn't going to be impressed. He pushed his fury and uncertainty into the training and finally stopped when he began feeling dizzy. Walking over to a pot against the wall, he took a ladle of water and drank deeply before sitting down on a shaded bench. The blonde hesitated a moment before pulling out the box and looking at it. It really was pretty, finished in snake hide and dyed a vibrant red. Roxas frowned and pulled away the velvet cords, opening the box in a quick move. He would see what Axel thought he-

"…Oh." Roxas blinked at the sight of a small pin. He swallowed hard as he looked at the tiger's eye gem set in silver. It seemed to glare at him with active malevolence, the 'pupil' of the stone following his every move. And that might not be just his imagination since the stick pin was fashioned from arcane silver. It was easy to see from the slippery, almost lifelike appearance of the metal. There was a little card sticking to the roof of the box and Roxas extracted it, seeing it was in Axel's smooth, well rounded handwriting.

_A pin of night vision. You can activate it with three drops of blood on the eye. It should hold around ten charges and each charge will last for perhaps four hours. And no, magic doesn't get anymore precise. _Roxas had to smile at that. He could almost hear Axel speaking the words in a long-suffering tone. He had learned from his time with the redhead that magical charms had a varying life depending on how finely they were made, and charges bleeded away over time. Fortunately they could be renewed and the cost of that was much less than the original item. Roxas stared at the bauble, feeling touched. A magical item of this usefulness was more expensive than mere gold chains, just like the silver was more expensive than platinum.

"Axel…" Roxas whispered then shook his head, slowly taking off his armor and putting the pin in his shirt. Maybe… maybe he was going about this the wrong way. Axel really was a nice person under it all and Roxas couldn't help but like him. Maybe he should be trying to help the redhead overcome his addictions? Roxas' chin firmed with a new resolve as he began carefully cleaning the armor. He'd see what he could do to salvage Axel and help him become a credit to the royal family. And then… perhaps they could be more than just friends.

Perhaps.

* * *

"I'm not sure what to do father." Axel confessed as they sat together beneath an ornamental canopy, watching a troupe of acrobats putting on an impromptu show. Well, it was meant to seem impromptu at least. Axel didn't believe they'd all just happened to meet in the gardens by coincidence.

"Oh? About what?" His father chuckled as the smallest acrobat, probably a dwarf, rushed through the human pyrmaid and disrupted it. Acrobats tumbled everywhere in graceful rolls. Axel smiled faintly and fleetingly, wishing he could take more pleasure in the performance.

"The silver father." The King glanced at him, his expression mild but his gaze keen. Axel sighed, reaching for the gilded and gemmed hookah between them. "My investigation into the dream smoke is going well. I've reached Hayner's supplier and convinced him I can sell the stuff in the palace for him." Axel smiled evilly at the thought. The supplier would likely have had a heart attack if he knew the expenses were being covered by the royal treasury. "I'm certain I can get up the next run in the ladder and find out what merchant is importing the stuff. That's all we'll need to shut it down." There was no point in going any further. The stuff wasn't illegal in the Tawny Islands and their ambassador wasn't having any luck in making them take the problem seriously. "But I'm just not finding even the slightest lead on the silver." Axel lowered his voice. "You're sure it's going missing?"

"Of course." His father's voice was faintly irritated. "Your brother has already checked that." Axel accepted the reproof quietly, taking a deep drag from the hookah. The King sipped his lemonade, not really seeing the acrobats as he thought. Axel almost regretted distracting him from the performance but they would see it again at dinner. "Hrm. There's no sign of anyone using it?"

"None. And unless someone has found a way to purge the effects out of the aura without weeks of fasting and painful rituals." Axel knew from research that the effects of arcanite use took hold immediately, but could be purged out by siphoning and cleansing the aura. The efforts to find a way to neutralize it ahead of time had met with failure. "A student or dilettante wouldn't have the fortitude for that." That was what made the arcanite so dangerous. The raw power of an archmage powered with faulty knowledge and madness… The King frowned, reaching for the hookah and taking a slow puff.

"Maybe you should go to the mines." Axel's eyebrows lifted at that and his father flashed him a quick smile. "Your brother did all he could, but he's not an investigator. And everyone knows he's sharp as a tack." Which meant whoever was into it at the mine had probably been on guard. Axel smiled faintly as he caught where his father was going, then hesitated.

"But why would you be sending me there? It would be odd to send me without a reason." Axel pointed out, then suddenly grinned. "I know! I could pick a fight with Acacia. This could be your punishment." A nice brisk ride into the hottest part of the desert would make a nice punishment for a minor infraction. His father laughed, smiling as one of the acrobats ended up in the ornamental pond.

"It won't take much effort either. She'll say something… just take offense at it." The King observed and Axel smiled ruefully. His third sister and he had never gotten along. She was constantly making nasty remarks not just about his drinking and magic, but also about his sexual escapades and general personality. Axel suspected that part of the reason she put so much effort into putting him down was because she was cordially disliked by everyone in the palace, and knew it. She was just a very unpleasant person. Axel would have pitied her husband but he wasn't much better. "You should take Roxas with you."

"I should?" Axel was very surprised by that suggestion and shot his father a sharp look. "Why?" The King smiled at him innocently before taking another sip of his lemonade. The performance was breaking up and Axel was a little sad to see the acrobats go.

"He knows how to fight and he's a very loyal boy. I could always ask him to keep you safe, tell him I'm worried about your drinking." The King observed blandly and Axel winced. "Besides, you like to be around him don't you? You'll have weeks practically alone with him."

"Not like that." Axel muttered but admitted to himself that the idea had a certain charm. The mines were hardly a place for romance but then, Roxas was pretty hostile to that idea. It might be good for the blonde to see him at work, sort of. Although… "He's likely to see through my deception." Axel didn't much like that idea. He wasn't sure if Roxas could keep a secret. His father waved it off.

"We all must make sacrifices for love. Besides, you're getting older. What's acceptable at twenty is harder to pull off at forty." Axel frowned at his father but the old man just met his gaze levelly. "Besides, I think most of the archmages have figured you out already."

"Oh lovely." Axel thought he might be right though. His master would never have breathed a word of it but you didn't get to be an arch mage without being clever. Fortunately he was sure the apprentices and journeymen wouldn't be in the know, but it was only a matter of time. "I'll have to see about redirecting their suspicions." Axel mused to himself. There might be a few ways to do that. But for now… "Alright father, but you ask him. I don't want to make Roxas more suspicious of my intentions." His father grinned and Axel had to smile. He doubted most parents would have been so pleased at the thought of their son finding love with a foreign prince, but most parents didn't have a boatload of sons and daughters either. His father didn't need more grandchildren. He already had so many it was hard to keep track.

"Excellent. I'll see to it. Now, speaking of Roxas, you should get him a good camel or viara." His father said and Axel happily went into the minutiae of planning the trip.

It had been a long time since he'd ventured into the deep desert. It was never easy but it would likely be interesting.


	6. In the Desert

Author's Note: Sorry for anyone disappointed, but I'm feeling to down to do sex scenes. They're the hardest part for me and I've been struggling over this one for a week. Heck with it… I'm sure your imaginations can do the work. Heheh!

"Aren't you a pretty girl?" Roxas cooed to his camel, giving her a kiss on her soft nose. She looked at him with limpid eyes before making a low, grumbling sound. Roxas smiled and fished a bit of sugar out of his pocket, holding out his hand with the cube in his palm. Soft lips eagerly closed around it and he laughed, wiping a bit of drool off on his shirt. "You're so beautiful." That was nothing but the truth. His camel was from the King's stables and a lovely shade of light gold, almost white. When they'd left the palace for the stony desert, Roxas had been given his choice of a viara or camel. He'd picked the camel.

In his time in Hyra, Roxas had had plenty of opportunities to get used to viara and camels. There were horses in the city but not many, mostly used for racing and tending cattle. Viara had many wonderful qualities… they could be trained to do much more than camels and moved as quickly and agilely as horses. But there were points in favour of camels. Camels were more intelligent, in many ways. Roxas struggled to define it for a moment. Viara were extremely intelligent or they couldn't have be trained to guard or attack, but they lacked a certain common sense. A trapped viara would either panic or look to the nearest human for help. A camel was more likely to stand stock still, consider the situation and then extricate itself. That wasn't why Roxas had picked a camel though. The truth was, he just liked the fur. Touching a viara was like touching a waxy plant. They just weren't as cuddly as camels.

Roxas glanced around the camp and walked over to help Axel set up a tent. This trip through the desert was turning out to be vastly more pleasant than his first one. With the appropriate clothing, a very nice camel and plenty of water to drink it was only moderately strenuous. In fact, Roxas found he was enjoying seeing the desert. The nights were especially beautiful if very cold…

"Yah!" Roxas started violently as a hand touched his arm. He turned to look into Axel's bemused face. "Oh, sorry." He felt a bit foolish for that reaction. Axel hadn't been moving quietly, he just hadn't been paying attention.

"No worries. Are you hungry? It smells like something good is on the cook." Roxas sniffed the air and nodded. The cooks were putting together a good, tasty lentil soup. His stomach grumbled at the thought and Roxas followed Axel, watching the redhead thoughtfully as he poured himself a glass of wine with a ladle from a wide earthenware jar. Out in the desert, Axel was carrying a wineskin on his viara and drinking it all through the day. Roxas was sure the redhead would notice if he watered it, but he was going to try it anyway. He really wasn't drinking enough water through the day.

"I still can't believe you turned your sister into a pig," Roxas murmured as they both got bowls of soup. It smelled good, fragrant with spices. "Even if she is one." Axel flashed him a quick grin.

"She was getting on your nerves too? I'm not surprised." Axel said, his voice warm with amusement. Roxas frowned slightly as he remembered the slur his sister had made about both him and Axel when she hadn't known Roxas was listening. Axel had a large family and most of it was nice but there was always one person who was spiteful and nasty. The Princess Acacia was it for them. Ironic really since her name meant 'thorny' in the Hyran tongue. "I probably shouldn't have but I was in a bad mood." Axel shrugged slightly. "A headache." Roxas easily translated that as a hangover. Axel was remarkably good at hiding it but he had to have them.

"Well, she did deserve it." Roxas said as he sat down on a cushion near the fire. It was heavy leather and durable enough to survive all the rigors of the journey. It was also very necessary in the stony desert. The ground was very hard and covered in rocks, all of which seemed to have pointy ends. "Mmm." He sampled the soup, then dipped a bit of the trail bread in to soften it. Axel stared into the fire and they were both silent for a time as they ate. Roxas shivered slightly as a wind blew through the small camp and edged a bit closer to the fire. It was bitterly cold at night but the clothes the Hyran's wore helped combat the cold as well as disperse the daytime heat. Roxas would never have imagined the robes could be so comfortable before he arrived. But then, they would have been useless in the North. Humidity would render the layers of cloth unbearable. "Have you ever been to the silver mine before?" Roxas finally said, breaking the silence. Axel looked up from his soup and shook his head.

"No. My brother told me all about it though." Axel frowned as he dredged up the details from his memory. "It's in the middle of the stony desert. You might not believe it, but the stony desert is even hotter than the sandy." Roxas listened, interested. He knew Hyra was split into two kinds of desert, the sandy and the stony. The sandy was the smaller of the two and the one he'd passed through to get to Hyra so this place was new to him. "The silver mines and salt mines are both in the stony desert. The silver mine is the slightly better of the two. With that much arcane silver and arcanite, the collegium of mages have sent wizards to oversee parts of the mining. They help the conditions with some cooling spells and also waste disposal. The silver though… they do basic refining on site, so we don't have to haul ore out of the desert. That heats the place up something fierce." Axel paused and Roxas could hear one of the drovers playing a simple song on a flute. "The worst jobs are the men assigned to feed the furnaces."

"I can imagine." Roxas bit his lip as he thought about it. Not all the men in the mines were slaves. Some were criminals whose crimes hadn't quite merited death, or habitual offenders sentenced to a few years of hard labour. As a deterrent to crime it worked rather well. No one wanted to end up in the silver mines or worse, the salt mines. "How long will we be there?"

"A week. We'll probably stay in our tents while we're there." Axel sopped up the last of his soup with his bread and popped it in his mouth before standing and stretching. "I'm to sleep. Unless you'd care to join me?" Roxas choked on his soup at that and favoured Axel with a glare. Unfortunately it weakened a bit under the impact of Axel's warm smile and the amusement in his eyes.

"You wish." Roxas retorted and Axel laughed. The blonde swallowed a bit of bread as Axel adjusted his robes for a moment before walking to his tent. How could the redhead make that simple movement so sexy? It was something about the hips… Finishing his food, Roxas went to rinse out the dishes. Then he went down the line of pack animals, finding Axel's viara. The beast lifted its' head curiously, bright green eyes glowing faintly in the dark. But it did nothing as he unhooked Axel's wineskin and took it to the water cart.

There would probably be a fight about this tomorrow, but if he and Axel were going to be together someday they would be having this fight sooner or later. It might as well be now.

* * *

Roxas glanced at Axel as they rode under the punishing desert sun. They were passing over a particularly broken piece of landscape and the caravan was taking it slowly, the viara's and camel's picking out the surest footing on the sharp, shattered rocks. The great wheels of the wagons made a crunching sound as they went over the rocks. It wasn't very pleasant but his mind was on other things.

Axel was drinking from his wineskin. He'd already drunk from it several times and Roxas was completely baffled. The redhead was showing no sign of noticing that his wine had been watered to half what it had been before and he _should_ have noticed. How could he not? Any drinker would!

Roxas simmered in silence, frustrated yet unable to say anything. What could he say? Oh, I switched your wine for water. Why aren't you noticing? Were Axel's taste buds dead? Maybe he had grabbed the wrong wineskin, or perhaps Axel had noticed and refilled it without saying anything? Roxas bit his lip at the thought. If that was the case this would be harder than he thought. The caravan paused at one of the rare wells. It was disguised as a tumbled pile of rocks, the better to foil invaders. They began laboriously refilling the water wagons and providing the animals with water. As soon as Axel left his viara Roxas took the opportunity to grab his wineskin. He needed to know if the redhead had refilled it or if he was just -

"Hurk!" Roxas struggled not to spit out the mouthful of water he'd taken. It tasted like - he wasn't sure what it tasted like. Ashes? Dead plant matter? Either way it was horrible. Quickly putting the wineskin back, he went back to his camel in a stunned silence. She looked at him with bid, innocent eyes and nudged him in hoped of another treat. Roxas gently petted her nose as he struggled to think.

Axel wasn't drinking wine, he was drinking water. But there had been wine in there, he was sure of it. Axel refilled it from the wine barrels so it had to have been wine at some point. A suspicion occurred to him and Roxas frowned to himself. How much ability with magic did it take to turn wine to water? He knew it could be done the other way but -

"Conjured wine tastes terrible. Does conjured water?" Roxas whispered to his camel who grumbled softly in reply. Roxas opened his bags, pulling out a grooming brush. His camel rested her head on his shoulder and Roxas winced as a bit of drool landed on him. "No." He gently pushed her head away. She only meant to be friendly but the one negative thing about camels was that they did slobber a lot. Roxas groomed the camel as he tried to think.

Axel was pretending to drink. What else was he pretending to do? Roxas had a hard time accepting that his perception of reality was completely skewed but the contents of the wineskin were compelling proof. Roxas bit his lip as he thought about the cabbage trick. If Axel had done that on purpose… how much skill did it take to turn cabbage alcoholic while preserving the original flavour? Roxas suddenly suspected it took a lot. Why hadn't he seen that before? _No wonder the King dotes on him. _Roxas felt dazed as he processed all the implications. The King had to know what Axel was up to. Was the redhead doing it at the King's instruction? Roxas made up his mind to confront Axel about this tonight. But he would need to do it in private. One thing was for certain, he was not going to betray Axel's act to everyone else until he knew why the redhead was doing it. A smile crossed his face as he thought of the perfect way to do it. He patted the camel as she eagerly drank her share of the water, brought by one of the teamsters. When she was done he put away the brush, telling her to lie down so he could easily mount. That was a really nice thing about camels compared to horses. Jumping into a saddle without a mounting block had always been a bit tedious, since he was short and Cloud had favoured tall horses. But asking for a block or a hand up wasn't very manly. With camels or viara, it wasn't an issue.

They made good time through the desert after that and Roxas was sure they would reach the silver mines the next day. He was looking forward to it. The trip through the desert was fun but there wasn't much to see this far out into the stony plains. There were some plants, of course, mostly cacti and waxy plants he couldn't name. Also some animals but they mostly stayed well away from the caravan. The main exception was the birds who followed the caravan in hopes of a meal. They often found one by landing on the viara and pecking them. The beasts didn't seem to mind but their handlers shoo'd the little birds away quickly. Roxas vaguely wondered if the birds adapted to do that were a bit like mosquitoes to humans. Could a viara be seriously weakened by the birds? He suspected they could, if they weren't eating well.

They finally set up camp for the night and Roxas bottled up his impatience, taking food and making conversation like there was nothing the matter. Axel talked about an amusing fashion that had reached Hyra recently, a fad for tiny hats that were worn clipped or braided into the hair. Roxas tried to imagine how that worked and finally decided he would just have to see for himself. But for now…

"Could I join you tonight?" Roxas murmured, trying to make his voice seductive as he half closed his eyes, looking up at Axel through his eyelashes. He felt terribly silly but from the shocked expression on Axel's face he was doing pretty well.

"Are… are you sure?" Axel's voice was husky and for a brief moment Roxas felt bad about tricking him this way. But then, Axel had been tricking him for weeks. A bit of turnabout was fair play. Roxas smiled, stepping closer and resting a hand on the redhead's chest.

"I'm sure." He was surprised by the sincerity in his own words then licked his lips, remembering how he'd regretted not remembering what happened on the dream smoke night. Maybe he really did want to… and maybe now he could. Axel wasn't the useless fop he had thought. And the redhead was smiling, his eyes so bright. Roxas shelved the thought as Axel took his hand. He'd need to see how this would go before worrying about his love life.

"In that case…" Axel murmured, pulling him up and pressing a kiss against his temple. Roxas shivered at the brush of soft lips on warm skin. They held hands as they walked to the redhead's tent. Roxas was almost sad to break the mood but when they were alone and Axel turned towards him, he put a hand against the redhead's chest and looked up into bright green eyes.

"I want to talk first." He said and Axel blinked at the suddenly businesslike tone. "About why you have water in your wineskin." For the first time since he'd come to Hyra, the redhead was speechless, his mouth falling open. Roxas had to hold back a giggle. Axel looked very silly like that. "And how much skill it takes to turn your sister into a pig. Or cabbage alcoholic without changing the taste." He added for good measure as Axel's face went slack. "And close your mouth or you might catch flies." Axel's mouth snapped shut before working soundlessly for a moment.

"Wow, Roxas, this is the sexiest foreplay I've ever heard!" Axel said and Roxas' eyes narrowed. He could tell the redhead was playing for time, trying to find a believable lie. Or trying to cast a spell. Roxas claimed his right hand as Axel started to make a gesture. The redhead stopped with a slightly forced smile. "You'd almost think you don't want to, uh…" Axel's voice trailed off as Roxas ran a thumb over the palm of his hand. He could see the redhead's breath speed up at that seductive move.

"I want the truth. Then, if I like what I hear, we'll see." This time it took no effort to sound seductive. Blue eyes met green and Axel swallowed, looking stunned.

"I… might not drink that much." He murmured softly. Roxas tilted his head to one side, looking at him thoughtfully.

"The liqueur in your coffee?" He asked softly.

"Cream and spices. It's the same mixture the cooks use for the desserts." Axel admitted and Roxas smiled, reaching up to cup his cheek.

"And the stuff you drink at night?" That was the hard liquor. They were almost breathing on each other's lips now.

"Apple juice. Or I turn it into water like the wine." Axel amended. Most of the time he poured his own liquor from a hip flask but not always. Roxas nodded.

"What rank would you be as a wizard, anyway?" Roxas murmured just before their lips met. The kiss was deep and electrifying, igniting feelings in him that he'd never really considered before, except in his daydreams.

"If I took the tests? Probably a junior master." Axel murmured in his ear as they parted and Roxas nodded, feeling breathless. He didn't really understand the ranks but he knew that was fairly powerful, stronger and more knowledgeable than a journeyman. But still far below an arch mage like Axel's master. "My master knows." Axel said, anticipating his next question. "And the King of course. And probably the Queen."

"Your mother?" Roxas managed to say although what Axel was doing right now was highly distracting. The redhead was exploring his throat, nipping the soft skin as he started pulling off the robes.

"Oh hell no." Axel muttered, startling a laugh out of Roxas. The redhead looked up with a grin, his green eyes glowing in the dim light. "Is that enough talking, or do you want to know more?" The desire was heavy in his voice and Roxas swallowed hard before nodding.

"That's enough for now." He was pretty sure he knew the rest of it anyway, and he could question Axel more tomorrow. For now, he wanted to experience the pleasures his body and Axel's hands were hinting at.

There would be plenty of time tomorrow.

* * *

Axel propped himself up on his elbows, smiling as he looked down at his new lover. Roxas was curled on his side, the thin light of an early dawn not disturbing him yet. There was the faint sounds of some of the cooks and drovers stirring, beginning the morning rituals. The blonde had burrowed deep into the blankets and was snoring softly.

_You could make him forget. _The daevas swirled around him and Axel grimaced, quickly binding it. It's voice was coaxing, teasing. _Make him forget what he knows about you. Make him forget last night._

"Begone." Axel forced the daevas away and it blew open the tent flap with a laugh, vanishing into the desert. In some ways, commanding the daevas was harder in the deep desert. This was its home and while summoning it was easy, dispelling it was not entirely possible. It could remain in the area if it chose. Fortunately his bindings kept it mostly under control. Roxas' snoring stuttered as the cool breeze of the early morning hit his face. He blinked slowly, bright blue eyes dazed with sleep.

"Axel?" Axel smiled at that sleepy inquiry and leaned over, giving Roxas a kiss. "Mmm… good morning." Roxas' eyes were half-lidded and full of lazy pleasure. Axel felt the same way, but…

"We need to get moving." Axel gently poked the blonde who sighed and pulled himself out of the blankets.

"So are we actually going to the silver mine because you turned your sister into a pig?" Roxas asked as he dressed. Axel was tempted to watch but manfully suppressed the urge, pulling on his own clothes. He shrugged slightly.

"Of course. Who in their right mind would come here voluntarily?" Axel asked lightly and Roxas shot him a look. "Well, maybe I did arrange it with father ahead of time." He admitted and Roxas relaxed, smiling. "I'm here for the arcanite."

"Arcanite?" Roxas looked puzzled and Axel was reminded that very few people even knew about the second magical metal. "Is that like arcane silver?" The blonde pulled on his boots as Axel fished out a comb and quickly untangled his hair.

"Very like. But instead of being a power storage, it's an amplifier." Roxas blinked as Axel continued. "It can be used to fuel rituals and personal power. We realized about a month ago that it was going missing. Materials that had been logged at the smelter were going missing somewhere in the journey."

"Oh." Roxas frowned, stepping out of the tent and lowering his voice. "And that's bad?" Axel nodded as he helped break down the tent for travelling.

"Very. Potentially, worse than the dream smoke." He could almost see Roxas' sudden suspicions about the dream smoke but the blonde didn't ask. He just chewed his lip as he helped with the tents, then saddling his camel.

"You think the silver might be going missing at the smelter?" Roxas asked softly and Axel nodded. "But if that's the case why would it be logged?"

"The collegium rotates mages assigned to the smelters frequently, since it's a rather gruelling job." Axel said as he made sure his viara was eating her feed. She was a bit of a picky eater and registered his displeasure at the sticky mess with a few grumbles before settling in to eat. Roxas' camel was far more amenable, chowing down eagerly. Not surprising since it included chopped dates, a favourite food for her. "The current journeyman overseeing things is a bit of an eager beaver. I knew him at the collegium and I'm sure he started logging things as soon as they came out of the smelter."

"Oh. You think the earlier journeymen might not have been as thorough?" Roxas asked and Axel nodded.

"At first we thought this was just a recent thing but we haven't found any disappearances further down the line, and the stuff isn't turning up on the black market. So now we're wondering if our industrious journeyman has uncovered a more longstanding problem." Axel's kept his tone bland but Roxas seemed to catch the worry he was hiding.

"That's bad?" Roxas sounded uncertain and Axel was reminded that the blonde wasn't a wizard. He had no idea what the arcanite could do. But then, did Axel? He'd never seen it in use although he had a very good idea from his Master's information. He thought about it a moment before shrugging.

"We won't know for sure until we know exactly where it's going. Now -" He laid a finger across his lips and Roxas looked up to see one of the drovers. The man was out of earshot at the moment but coming closer. The blonde nodded before looking back at Axel.

"You can count on me." Axel smiled at the hint of almost eagerness in the blonde's voice. He wasn't surprised though. Roxas had been a bit bored for some time, with nothing to do but enjoy the comforts of the palace and save his allowance until he had enough to start a business. Now he was engaging in a real adventure, and not just a trek into the desert, but a mission that could prove to be vital to the Kingdom of Hyra. Then Axel frowned, thinking about that. It really could be vital. Which meant…

"I will, but don't get too enthusiastic. It could be dangerous." Axel murmured softly but Roxas just laughed, looking forward as they began their final day of the journey to the silver mine. Axel admired the blonde for a moment, hoping his confidence was not misplaced.

They would have to see.


End file.
